News

Father Christopher C. Steinle, O.S.A., recently returned to Latin America in his new ministry as an Augustinian missionary to the Province of St. Michael, headquartered in Quito, Ecuador. Father Steinle began this service in February following several years of ministry for the domestic needs of the Midwest Augustinians’ Province.

In the News

This weekend, millions of Catholics will be donating to the World Mission Sunday fund. It is more than just a second collection, though. The Augustinians have had a missionary spirit for centuries and continue to benefit from donors' generosity. Before you decide whether or not to contribute this weekend to World Mission Sunday, consider the following four things:

1. The First Augustinian Missionaries in the United States Built this Country

Had it not been for the Augustinian missionaries in the 18th century, our Church in the United States might look a little different. When Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore appealed for priests to come to America, the Augustinians in Dublin, Ireland sent the Rev. John Rosseter, O.S.A., who arrived in Philadelphia in 1794. Bishop Carroll was so pleased with Father Rosseter's ministry that he asked the Augustinian Order to send additional friars and to establish a permanent community in the new republic. Father Matthew Carr, O.S.A., was assigned to the new mission field. He arrived in 1796 and made Philadelphia the center of Augustinian missionary activity. As their number grew, the Augustinians expanded their presence and ministry to neighboring Eastern states.

Fr. Matthew Carr, O.S.A., one of the first Augustinians to serve in the United States is seen here receiving a $100 donation from George Washington

2. Augustinian Missionaries also Built the Church in the Midwest

In 1905 Archbishop James E. Quigley invited the Order to Chicago to start its first foundation west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Rev. James F. Green, O.S.A., went to Chicago later that year. He was asked to establish a Catholic presence in the sparsely settled southwest section of Chicago.

As the area population grew, the Augustinians established three additional parishes in nearby neighborhoods in 1909. Other bishops in the Midwest continued to ask the Augustinians to serve in their emerging dioceses, including present-day dioceses such as Tulsa and Detroit.

3. We Continue Our Missionary Spirit Today in Peru

In 1962, Saint John XXIII asked all religious orders in the United States to send 10% of their members to evangelize Latin America. It was only one year later that the Augustinians received a specific request to evangelize an area in Northern Peru. The Province began sending Augustinian missionaries to Peru to build the local Church. The Most Reverend John C. McNabb, O.S.A., for example, was appointed to be the first Bishop of Chulucanas, Peru.

Bishop Dan Turley, O.S.A., has been serving in the Augustinian missions of Peru for nearly 50 years

Today, the second bishop in Peru is an Augustinian missionary from Chicago: the Most Reverend Daniel T. Turley, O.S.A. The Augustinians have also established an Augustinian "Vicariate," which hopes to eventually become a fully independent Province of Peruvian Augustinians! These missions continue to serve impoverished mission parishes in the mountains, establish schools in desert cities, and promote justice and peace. This work is only possible through the support of charitable donations to the Augustinians, such as through online giving or donations through mission appeals.

4. You Are Also Called to Be a Missionary

Missionaries are not just people that travel to foreign lands and speak in different languages. Missionaries are all of those that spread the Good News among our families and communities. Pope Piux XI, in fact, created World Mission Sunday in 1926 as a way to unite all those across the globe in the missionary spirit, regardless of where they lived. Bishop John McNabb, O.S.A., who is one of the few surviving attendees of the Second Vatican Council, summed it up quite well recently:

Everybody’s called as the doctrine of the Vatican II indicates, to participate actively in the work of evangelization, not to be just a spectator. Part of that is the work of the Church, and the work that the Augustinians do is part of that work of evangelization. I don’t think anybody to be free of accepting the obligation to support the means by which evangelization is done, it’s done by men and sacrifices by people supporting them in their education and later on in their vocation to serve the Church, and to serve the religious life.

— Bishop John McNabb, O.S.A.

So, this World Mission Sunday, let us remember that ultimately we are all called to be missionaries. You can be a missionary by:

Praying for those less fortunate than ourselves;

Sharing the Good News with your family and your local community; or,

Contributing to this year's World Mission Sunday collection or to the Augustinian missions in Peru.

As St. John Paul II said, "A local church that is not missionary is not fully Catholic." Let's take this weekend to embrace in our inner missionary spirit and spread the Good News however we can!

Written by Patrick T. Murphy, Associate Director for Communications of the Midwest Augustinians

Patrick Murphy has been working with the Augustinians in fundraising and
communications since 2010. He began working with the Augustinian Vocations
office in 2015. He also holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management.

Midwest Augustinians

The Midwest Augustinians are a part of the Catholic Order of St. Augustine, known as the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel. Our community life shapes our service in schools, parishes and missions. Our ministries span from the Midwestern United States to parts of Canada and northern Peru.